CPC Central Committee to hold 2nd plenum

BEIJING - The Second Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will be held here from February 26 to February 28, according to a decision by members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Saturday.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

A draft on institutional restructuring and function transformation of the State Council was discussed during the meeting. It was agreed that efforts will be made to achieve simpler and decentralized?administration as well as push forward institutional reform.

Members agreed that institutional reform of the State Council should be carried out in an "active yet prudent, step by step manner, with priority given to function transformation."

Participants vowed to attach greater importance to the transformation of government functions. They said more efforts should be made to improve administrative efficiency and the socialist market economic system.

They also discussed the list of candidates for the country's next administration, which will be recommended to the upcoming first session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, as well as the candidate list for the leadership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, China's top political advisory body, which will be recommended to the coming first session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee.

The issues regarding institutional restructuring and function transformation of the State Council as well as the candidate lists were adopted as agenda items for the Second Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee.

Participants also discussed the government work report which the State Council will present to the upcoming NPC meeting for deliberation.

They concluded that in the five years since the first meeting of the 11th NPC in 2008, the Chinese people, under the CPC's leadership, have effectively coped with the impact of the international financial crisis, enhanced the country's overall strength and made remarkable progress in its modernization.

This year, participants said, China will focus on improving the quality and efficiency of its economic growth, further its reform and opening-up, boost innovation, so as to achieve sustainable and healthy development of the economy and social harmony.